TEHRAN – Thousands of people have held rallies across Iran on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the United States embassy in Tehran.

Thousands gathered in front of the former US embassy to express their rejection of Washington’s policies, especially the new sanctions recently imposed on Iran.

“Death to America, We trample on the US,” and “There will not be a war and we will not negotiate,” were messages seen on some of the banners being waved while protesters trampled and burned the Stars and Stripes as well as flags of Israel and the United Kingdom.

Others carried dolls and caricatures representing US President Donald Trump.

At the Tehran rally, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolution Guardians, Mohammad Ali Jafari, told those attending that during its 40-year history the Islamic Revolution had highlighted the successive failures of US policy in the region.

“Never threaten the Iranian people,” Ali Jafari said. “Do not make military threats against us, and do not frighten us with military threats.”

On Nov. 4, 1979, a group of university students raided the embassy, which they believed had become an espionage center whose main activity was to overthrow the then-nascent Islamic Republic, and held 52 American diplomats for more than 400 days.

This year’s rallies come after the US administration decided on Friday to reimpose all the sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

“America’s goal with sanctions is to cripple and hold back Iran’s economy, but the outcome is that the push toward self-sufficiency has expanded in the country,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

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